Romans 4:9-17
Romans Exposition Student Ministry • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Law and Salvation
The Law and Salvation
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Main Proposition:
Statement of Doctrine or Application
Faith by the grace of God is the only way that we can be considered righteous in God’s eyes.
Intro:
Statement of proposition
What is the flip side if Paul cannot prove to these Jews that they can only be saved by faith through grace?
Eternal death
Other texts that support
6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Why does this matter?
I think that if we were to look at the tone of his letter it isn’t being written calmly, sitting with his feet up.
He is saying that in order to get away from the wrath of God you MUST come to the understanding of salvation is through faith by the means of grace.
What the world is convinced of is that there must be more to it. It cannot just be faith alone.
That is what Satan wants us to think. He wants us to think that we can have a say in it.
Illustration of family friend who is Catholic and was able to wear Pope John Paul II jacket in hopes of it performing a miracle in order to cure his cancer.
It perfectly illustrates the works-centered systems of religion that men create under Satan’s inspiration
That people cannot just be made right before God through human works, but that something more than Christ is needed for certain things to happen in our lives.
Leading up to this Paul has established that Abraham who the Jews consider the most righteous of righteous men was saved by faith and not by his works.
In the upcoming verse Paul is going to go into detail about this faith that Abraham had was only through God’s grace and had nothing to do with keeping of the law, circumcision or anything that was outside of faith and grace.
Abraham was saved by faith through grace
Paul’s argument is that if Abraham the greatest of the greats in Jewish heritage was saved by faith through grace by God, then every single person that has come after him must be saved and considered justified under the same basis.
Main Point #1: Man cannot cleanse his own heart
Statement
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Prove
In these opening verses we are going to see Paul move from “how” we are justified to “when” we are justified
Paul is going to argue that Abraham was considered justified and righteous before he was circumcised not after
Once again Paul knows exactly the argument that the Jews are going to make
“If Abraham was justified by faith alone, then why did Abraham have to get circumcised snd the descendants that came after him?
Most Jews during NT times were convinced that circumcision wasn not a unique mark that set them apart, but also a means by which they became acceptable to God.
They believed that salvation was based on their obedience to God and because of that circumcision was their eternal security blanket in a sense.
What was Paul’s background? He came from a very legalistic Jewish background
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
Paul could be considered the Jew of Jews. He was in a sports term up and coming.
But on the road to Damascus he saw the light (literally). The Holy Spirit had revealed it to Him.
No divinely ordained act, sign, ceremony could bring salvation to someone.
Lets think about it this way if someone believes that any ceremony, ritual, work could bring upon salvation then they are nullifying and voiding what Christ did for us.
His entire humiliation would be for nothing if this is how salvation could be obtained.
We see this even in today’s world with so many people believing that certain religious ceremonies or activities can make them right before God
Catholic church is the biggest offender
People during Paul’s day believed that whatever was true for Abraham in regard to justification was true for every Jew.
Verse 11:
Paul has no objection to people getting circumcised as long as the act was seen in the light of salvation is only through faith
The difference between a sign and a seal
A sign points to something and a seal is going to guarantee it
His faith guaranteed his salvation
We need to realize that it is the heart of men that need spiritual circumcision and cleansing.
It’s like what Grant preached on a few weeks ago. Man cannot cleanse his own heart.
Since Abraham was justified before he was circumcised he is the father of all believers not just Jews, but also Greeks
Verse 12:
This is what we have to realize when it comes to Abraham: He is the spiritual father of all who trust in Jesus the Messiah. These are his spiritual descendants
There is no distinction between Jew or Gentile
Every promise of God’s word belongs to all of those who have faith
There would have been people that were circumcised in OT/NT times that were not saved and surely today there will be people who have publicly professed faith and yet they have not yet accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior before they were baptized.
The children of Abraham are those who have faith like Abraham
It is important to realize that in this generation today that being born into a Christian family does not guarantee us salvation.
God can use that to save, but it is not guaranteed
We must realize that baptism does NOT save
It is only through faith by God’s grace that it is and always has been possible.
Illustrations
In the OT/NT it was circumcision and today we have the sign of Baptism as the saving covenant sign
Main Point #2: Obedience to the Law doesn’t guarantee salvation
Statement
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Prove
Here the Apostle’s whole case rests on history.
The Jews boast about their history, this is what separates them from the gentiles
The important point that we need to grasp is that this promise was given to Abraham 430 years before the law was given to Moses
Galatians 3:17 “17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.”
Paul is connecting the previous verse to this by by telling us that circumcision was not the means of Abraham being made right with God and neither was his law keeping.
“Did not come through the law”; Referring to the promise of blessing through Abraham’s offspring
We learned a few weeks ago that the law is not and was never meant to bring us to salvation, but to point us to Christ
What is meant by the word offspring, descendent or seed in some translations
Jesus Christ is the seed and we are only the seed of Abraham by being in Christ
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
It was prophesied as early as Genesis about Christ coming.
Verse 14:
If fulfillment was achieved by the means of works then men’s and women’s inability to keep the law will then guarantee that the promise would never be fulfilled
If we could receive the kingdom of god through the law, it would completely diminish the primary importance of faith.
If we could receive the stamp of God’s gifts apart from faith through our works and merit we would completely empty the tank of faith which is the only cause of our justification .
Apart from faith the promise of God to Abraham and his heirs has no effect.
The argument for the law is that if salvation is based on keeping God’s Law then there is no room at all for faith
Law is only concerned about our deeds, works and actions
The moment you bring in the law your faith is gone
Your faith is something that is opposed to works
Verse 15:
Paul comes to the conclusion about those who think that justification comes from the works of the law instead of faith alone and he answers that question in verse 15.
“The law brings wrath”; essentially means that the law imposes penalties for failure to keep the law
What the law effects is not salvation, justification or forgiveness, but only the wrath of God. If we put our confidence into the law than the only outcome we will get is God’s wrath.
Our only merit with that is God’s wrath.
this is a great and wonderful promise. It does not apply to the Jews alone or only the land of Israel
It applies to all the spiritual children and the children of faith
We shouldn’t think of it as Jew and Gentile, Circumcision or Uncircumcision, under the law or outside the law.
In Christ there is none of that. It is only justification by faith only and not determined by any of the previously mentioned items.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
The law was only instituted to be a tutor to lead us to Christ, that we must be justified by faith.
If God had not set any standards or imposed certain obligations on us, then we would be autonomous. We would be free to do whatever we wanted to do.
There was a Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky said “If there is no God, all things are permissible.” We live in a world that wants to do away with the concept of sin because there is not absolute truth only subjective truths, but in order to do away with sin the first thing you must do is do away with God.
We commit sins when we fail to do what God has commanded of us and when we do that we are actively in transgression of the law of God.
If God had never given any law, there would be no transgression. Without the law there is no sin, which is the point Paul is trying to make here. However there is a law and that law reveals our sin.
It demonstrates our short comings of His glory.
Flowers in texts
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
Illustrations
No Trespassing sign” When we see a sign that says no trespassing and then we go ahead and cross that line we are liable for punishment whether that is legal fines, jail time in some cases, etc.
God has set up his “No trespassing” boundaries with the law and when we break those boundaries then we are liable for punishment and that is God’s wrath.
The difference between the two is that when we break God’s law we aren’t breaking some piece of legislation or some piece of paper that was signed.
When we break God’s law we are sinning directly at Him.
Apply or Confront
Main Point #3: Only By God’s Grace can someone be justified
Statement
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Prove
In these verses now Paul is making a shift from negative to positive when it comes to the Law
Leading up to this the negative was necessary because he had to be clear about what the law is used for and the end reality for those that put their salvation in the hands of themselves.
What is faith?
The promise God made to Abraham, which promise comes to us as children of Abraham, children of faith. Everything that is awaiting us as God’s people is faith.
Faith is not another form of human works. You cannot will yourself to have faith in Christ
It is only by God’s grace that someone comes to a saving faith in Him.
Grace is the divine power that brings justification
Abraham’s faith was a universal faith meaning this did not just trend down to the Jews, but also the Gentiles.
Abraham is not just simply the father of Isaac or the father of the Jews, but he is also the father of the Gentiles who believe and trust the same promise that Abraham did in which he was counted righteous before God
He was the spiritual prototype of every genuine believer. He was a pagan, idolatrous, ungodly sinner who trusted not in his own efforts, but in God’s gracious promise.
If the promised inheritance were based on keeping God’s law, then it would not depend on God’s grace, but on human ability as we have discussed.
There are always words that are tied together:
Works and deeds always belong to the law
What does it mean to be lawful? deeds, actions, behavior, conduct etc.
Faith and grace
When you mention faith you always think of grace and vice versa
Under the law it is always a matter of merit
But salvation is Gods glory only
If you are boasting about your faith, if you boast about the fact that you have believed while someone has not, it is no longer grace; and it is no longer God’s glory, but the credit goes to your behalf.
Flowers in texts
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
God is the one who calls people, places and events into existence solely by His divine power and sovereign judgment.
Illustrations
Apply or Confront
*Confront culture of False Teaching
Application Points:
1. We must never forget that there is a big difference between regeneration by the Holy Spirit and the participation in a ritual
2. Know that the God of the Bible is still the God who “gives life to the dead.” God in this very day can save a dying soul as you go to Him in faith.
3. Your faith is a gift from God that you did nothing to deserve
